Apparatus for supporting electrical components and method of making the same



May 5, 1910 Original Filed Feb. 27, 1967 AND v L. J. DAKE APPARATUS FORSUPPORTING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME 2Sheets-Sheet l F I6. I I6. 3

A l4 INVE/V TOR LEE J. DAKE Afforn eys May 5, 1970 7 L. J. DAKE3,509,673 APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS AND METHOD OFMAKING THE SAME Original Filed Feb. 27. 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I/VVE/VTORLEE J. DAKE R By %dw ,mm,fizum &

A Horn e ys United States Patent US. Cl. 52-721 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE Apparatus for supporting electrical components from poles andthe like, including a bracket attached to the pole having a pair ofparallel vertical side plates and a spacer web joined therebetweenforming the bottom of a beam pocket and sloping upwardly and outwardlyof the pole. A support arm having an inner end supported in the pocketand extending upwardly and outwardly of the pole. The support arm isconstructed of wood members laminated together and is tapered from amaximum dimension at the bracket to a minimum dimension at the outerend. The arm is curved along a neutral axis sloping upwardly andoutwardly adjacent the bracket to approach a horizontal plane adjacentthe outer end Whereon the electrical components are supported. The armis secured to the bracket by a horizontal bolt extending through theside plates of the bracket and an upwardly extending bolt which passesthrough the spacer web and controls the angular relation of the arm withrespect to the pole.

A method of making a pair of support arms comprising the steps offorming an elongated laminated wood beam having longitudinal side faces,bending the beam longitudinally to form curved longitudinal upper andlower edge faces extending transversely of the side faces, and cuttingthe beam after forming and bending along a path between said upper andlower edge surfaces diverging to- Ward one and away from the otherbetween opposite ends of the beam to form a pair of curved taperedsupport beams.

This application is a continuation of United States patent applicationSer. No. 618,663, filed Feb. 27, 1967 and now abandoned.

The present invention relates to a new and improved apparatus forsupporting electrical components and the like and to a new and improvedmethod of making the same. More particularly, this inveniton isconcerned with anew and improved means for supporting electricalcomponents, such as transmission lines and the like, from vertical polesor other supporting structures and is concerned not only in providingstrong and reliable support means which will long withstand the elementsof wind,

weather, and precipitation, but also one which is aestheticin appearanceand does not blight the surrounding countryside.

In the past, such structures have included poles or towers either ofsteel or wood and numerous bracing members and cross arms, which, inmany instances, are gross and unsightly, and it is an object of thepresent invention to provide a new and improved apparatus of thecharacter described which not only is functionally improvedv but, inaddition, is aesthetic in appearance.

When such structures are used for supporting high tension electricaltransmission lines, one of the problems associated therewith is thepossibility of flash-over from the high voltage lines to the variousmembers making up the structure. Because of this, in many instances,wood has been preferred over metal. Many of the wood structures,however, have required extensive cross bracing and X-bracing in order toprovide the necessary strength required for supporting the electricaltransmission lines, especially when the lines are burdened with heavyaccumulations of ice and snow and with wind loads. While Wood has betterresistance to impulse flash-over than metal, it generally does not lastas long as metal because of deterioration caused by wind and weather.

-Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a newand improved apparatus of the character described which is structurallysound, aesthetic in appearance, and which is able to withstand for longperiods of time the deteriorating effects of wind and weatherencountered.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a new andimproved apparatus of the type described having improved dampingcharacteristics to minimize the whipping or swinging oscillations of thewires carried thereby when heavy ice and snow loads and high wind areencountered.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a newand improved apparatus of the character described having improvedresistance to impulse flash-over from the electrical componentssupported thereon to other portions of the apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a new andimproved method of making the supporting apparatus of the presentinvention which is low in cost, relatively simple in operation andeconomical as far as the material required is concerned.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a newand improved method of the character described wherein the supportingapparatus produced is extremely strong, low in cost and, in addition, isaesthetic in appearance.

Briefly, the foregoing and other objects of the present invention areaccomplished by the provision of a new and improved apparatus forsupporting electrical components, such as transmission lines fromutility poles, towers andthe like including a bracket adapted to beattached to the pole and having a pair of parallel vertical side plateswith a spacer web joined therebetween forming the bottom of a beamreceiving pocket and sloping upwardly and outwardly from the pole. Asupport arm is provided with its inner end supported in the beam pocketand extending upwardly and outwardly of the pole, and the arm isfabricated of laminated wood members and is tapered from a maximum depthat the bracket to a minimum depth at the outer end where the electricalcomponent is attached. The support arm is curved along a neutral axissloping upwardly and outwardly adjacent the bracket and the axisgradually approaches the horizontal adjacent the outer end of the arm.The inner end of the arm is secured in the beam pocket by a horizontalbolt or pivot pin extending through the side plates of the bracket andan adjustable pin or bolt extends upwardly through the spacer web in thebracket and the inner end of the arm. This bolt is adjustable to controlthe angular relation between the arm with respect to the supporting poleand thereby position the outer end of the arm horizontally. Because thearm is constructed of laminated wood members and is curved and taperedas described, it is extremely strong and provides for better ing thebeam longitudinally while the adhesive is setting to form curvedlongitudinal upper and lower edge faces. After the beam segment is soformed, it is cut longitudinally along a curved path between the curvedupper and lower edges and the cutting path is offset from the neutralaxis of the segment and diverges toward one and away from the other ofthe curved edge surface thereby forming a pair of curved and taperedsupport arms from the single curved beam segment.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference should behad to the following detailed descriptionwhen taken in conjunction withthe drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of a new andimproved apparatus for supporting electrical components and the like inaccordance with features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary lateral elevational view showing a portion ofthe structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line33 of FIG. 2 looking downward in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged lateral side elevational view of one of thesupport arm assemblies constructed in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the support arm assembly of FIG. 4showing in enlarged detail a bracket means in accordance with theinvention for securing the support arm to a supporting pole;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but with portions broken away toillustrate the mounting details of the support arm in the bracket means;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view looking downwardly on the inner end portion ofthe arm and bracket of FIG. 5; FIG. 8 is a sectional view takensubstantially along the lines 8-8 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating the method of the presentinvention used in fabricating or making the support arms of theapparatus.

Referring now, more particularly, to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates autility pole 10 on which are mounted a plurality of support armassemblies 12 constructed in accordance with the features of the presentinvention. The support arm assemblies are especially adapted forsupporting electrical transmission lines 14 but are useful forsupporting other electrical components, such as trans formers, switches,and the like. As illustrated, the support arm assemblies 12 may be ofdifferent lengths in order to provide the proper spacing between thedifferent electrical transmission lines 14 and the pole 10 and a singlepole may provide support for a number of such support arm assemblies asrequired in a specific installation. The support arm assemblies aredesigned for functional utility and, in addition, are designed withaesthetic objects in mind and it can be seen from FIG. 1 that the poleand support structures thereon provide an overall appearance which ismuch more pleasing to the eye than prior structures of this typeemploying angular wood or steel X-braces, cross members, etc. Thetransmission lines 14 are supported at the outer ends of the support armassemblies and for this purpose flexible insulator strings 16, formingno part of the present invention, are interconnected between thetransmission lines 14 and the respective .arms. Eyebolts 18, or thelike, are used for the purpose of connecting the upper ends of theinsulator strings to the respective arms and the eyebolts extendupwardly through the vertical holes drilled in the arms adjacent theirouter ends.

As best shown" in FIG. 4 of the drawings, each support arm assembly 12includes a davit-type cantilever beam formed of laminated wood memberscurved about its longitudinal axis. The arm 20 is tapered from a maximumdepth or vertical dimension at its inner end adjacent the pole to aminimum depth or vertical dimension at the outer end and the inner endof the arm is supported and connected to the pole 10 by means of a metalbracket 22.

Each bracket 22 includes a pair of vertically extending, spaced apartside plates or gussets 24 (FIGS. 4 through 8) having oppositely,outwardly extending, vertical flanges 26 along their inner ends (FIG.7), which flanges are adapted to abut and bear against the outer surfaceof the pole 10. The side plates 24 are connected in spaced apartrelation by means of a spacer web 28 or bottom plate welded or otherjoined to the inner faces thereof (FIGS. 4, 6 and 8). The spacer web 28slopes upwardly and outwardly with respect to the pole 10 and forms thebottom wall of a support arm receiving pocket formed between the sideplates 24 for accommodating the inner end of the r laminated woodsupport arm 20. Preferably, the respective side plates 24 are eachprovided with a plurality of small drain holes 24a spaced apart andpositioned immediately above the upper surface of the spacer web toprevent water from accumulating in the arm receiving pocket.

The spacer web 28 is dimensioned so that the inside surfaces of the sideplate 24 are spaced apart by a distance slightly greater than thelateral width of the arm 20 at its inner end so that the inner end ofthe arm can be easily inserted into the pocket of the bracket 22. Inaddition to the spacer web 28, the lower end portions of the spacedapart side plates 24 are interconnected and held in spaced apartrelation by a vertical spacer member 30 (FIG. 6), which spacer isadapted to bear against the surface of the pole.

The bracket 22 is connected to the pole 10 at the desired height thereonby a plurality of bolts including a bolt 32 extending through an openingin the spacer 30 (FIG. 7) and a pair of bolts 34 which extend throughvertically staggered holes in the respective mounting flanges 26adjacent their upper ends. As best shown in FIG. 2, pairs of brackets 22may be mounted on the pole 10 to extend outwardly in laterally opposeddirections and, in this case only, one pair of bolts 34 and a bolt 32are required to support both brackets.

In order to secure the inner end of the laminated support arm 20 withinthe pocket of the bracket 22, the side plates 24 are provided withvertically extending slots 24b (FIG. 5) and a horizontal pivot pin orbolt 36 is provided to extend through the slots in the side plates andthe support arm at a point along its neutral axis spaced outwardly ofits inner end adjacent the poles. When the bolt 36 is tightened, theside plates 24 are forced against the opposite sides of the support arm20 and aid in preventing the arm from rocking about the bolt.

In order to further secure the arm 20 in the bracket 22 and angularlyadjust the arm with respect to the pole 10, there is provided a bolt 38which extends upwardly through an opening in the spacer web 28 andthrough the inner end of the support arm 20 inwardly of the horizontalbolt 36. The angular relation between the arm and the pole is controlledby adjusting a pair of nuts 38a on the bolt 38 and accordingly the outerend or tip of the arm 20 can be raised or lowered as desired. Forexample, when the arm is heavily loaded at its outer end, the nuts 38acan be tightened up to take care of the increased deflection at the endof the arm caused by the heavy load. Once this adjustment has been made,the horizontal bolt 36 and nut are tightened to press the side plates 24firmly against the sides of the arm and help restrain the inner endthereof against pivotal movement about the axis of the horizontal bolt.In most instances, however, the nuts 38a will be tightened sufficientlyto force the underside of the arm tightly against the upper surface ofthe spacer web 28.

wood strips 21 which are laminated together with waterproof adhesive toform a laminated beam segment as shown in FIG. 9. Adhesive material isapplied to the upper and lower surfaces of the individual wood strips 21and the strips are firmly pressed together while the adhesive issetting. While the strips are pressed together and during the periodwhen the adhesive is setting, the beam segment (FIG. 9) is subjected tobending longitudinally thereof to provide the desired curvature, asshown in FIG. 9. When the adhesive has fully set, clamping and bendingpressure is released and the beam segment that has been formed has apermanent curvature therein, as shown in FIG. 9, and is of substantiallyuniform rectangular cross section throughout its length.

In accordance with the present invention, the curved beam segment thatis shown in FIG. 9 is constructed with a length L along its lower edgesurface and the lower edge surface is curved to conform to a cylindricalsegment having a radius of generation R. The cylindrical segment isgenerated about a horizontal axis laterally transverse with respect tothe beam segment and spaced remotely below the curved undersurface.Consequently, the beam segment includes a curved upper edge surfaceconcentric with respect to the lower surface and having a radius ofcurvature equal to R-|-D wherein D is the depth of the uncut beamsegment. In practice, the length L of the beam segment is generallyabout one half the radius of R, and this ratio produces arms that arestrong as well as aesthetic in appearance. The curved beam segment (FIG.9) is then cut longitudinally thereof along a curved path indicated bythe letter A in order to form a pair of support arms 20 and 20 Thecutting path A extends between opposite ends of the beam segment andconforms to a segment of a cylinder having a radius of generation whichis greater than the radius of curvature of the lower edge surface L butsmaller than the radius of curvature of the upper edge surface U. Theaxis of generation of the cylindrical segment defined by the cuttingpath A is parallel to the common axes of generation of the cylindricalsegments of the upper and lower edge surfaces of the beam segment but isoffset therefrom to be closer to one end of the beam segment than theother. The amount of this offset is selected so that the beam segment isdivided in a manner as shown wherein the cutting path A at one end ofthe beam segment is spaced a distance D from the upper edge surface Uand a distance D from the lower edge surface L and at the opposite endof the beam segment is spaced by the distance D from the lower edgesurface L and by the distance D from the upper edge surface U.Accordingly, after the cut is made along the path A, the beam segment issevered into two pieces forming a pair of support arms 20 and 20 whichare almost identical to one another. The thicker or deeper ends of therespective arms are then trimmed off by cutting along the lines B and Bto complete the formation of the pair of support arms from the singlelaminated beam segment.

The pair of support arms 20 and 20 thus formed from the single beamsegments (FIG. 9) are tapered along their length between a maximumdimension at their inner ends along the cuts B to a minimum dimension attheir outer ends represented by the distances D The radius of curvatureof the respective arms of the pair is slightly different, but thedifference is relatively small because the depth of the beam segment Dis relatively small in comparison with the radius of curvature R.

The support arms 20 formed by the method described are not only gracefulin appearance but are extremely strong and relatively low in cost.Relatively little material is wasted in the fabrication of the arms andthe tapered and curved upper and lower edge surfaces thereof provide forthe most economical use of material for the strength required of thearms to support loads. Specifically, the largest bending moment on acantilever-type beam is at the inner end and, accordingly, the arms 20are constructed with a maximum section modulus in this region. Thebending moment decreases progressively outward toward the free end of acantilever beam and the section modulus of the supports 20 likewise isdecreased progressively outward from the inner end to a minimum value atthe outer end.

Further strength is provided because of the curvature of the supportarms 20 with the neutral axis thereof extending upwardly and outwardlyof the pole 10 and gradually approach a horizontal plane at the outerend of the arm. The arms 20 are especially strong because of thelaminated construction and it has been found that arms constructed ofwood rather than metal have better characteristics for dampening thevibrations of the electrical lines 14 when the lines are caused to whipand sway during periods of high wind. The use of wood arms of the typedescribed rather than metal also affords better protection againstflashover from the electrical lines to the pole structure or othermembers and the brackets 22 are thus well insulated from the lines 14 orother electrical components supported at the outer ends of the supportarms.

After fabrication as described, the support arms 20 may be covered withcoating materials such as plastic resins or films which increase theresistance of the wood against Weathering and accordingly increase theuseful life or period of service before replacement is required.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to asingle embodiment thereof, it should be understood that numerous othermodifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the artthat fall Within the spirit and scope of the principles of thisinvention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. Apparatus for supporting electrical components from poles and thelike comprising, bracket means adapted to be mounted on said pole,cantilever arm means supported at the inner end by said bracket meansand extending outwardly of said pole for supporting said electricalcomponents adjacent the outer end thereof, said bracket means comprisinga pair of spaced-apart, vertical side members having oppositelyoutwardly extending vertical flanges along the inner edges adapted tobear against the surface of said pole, a transverse spacer web betweensaid side members forming a bottom wall extending outwardly of said poleand sloping upwardly from the inner end, said side members and said webforming a U-shaped, upwardly opening beam pocket for receiving the innerend portion of said arm means, each of said side members includingportions projecting above and below said spacer web, said beam pockethaving a bottom wall formed by said spacer web and sidewalls formed byupper portions of said side members, said side members tapering from amaximum vertical dimension adjacent said flanges along said inner edgesto a minimum vertical dimension adjacent the outer ends, outwardly ofsaid pole, first horizontal fastening means extended through said sidemembers and said inner end portion of said arm means, and secondfastening means extending up wardly through said spacer web and saidinner end portion of said arm means, said second fastening means beingspaced between said first fastening means and the inner end of said armmeans for adjusting the angular relation between the arm and pole.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said arm is tapered from a crosssection having a maximum depth adjacent said inner end and to a minimumdepth cross section adjacent said outer end.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 'wherein said arm includes curved upper andlower surfaces converging toward one another adjacent said outer end andspaced apart a maximum distance adjacent said inner end.

4. Apparatus for supporting electrical components from poles and thelike comprising, bracket means adapted to be mounted on said pole, armmeans supported by said bracket means and extending outwardly of saidpole for supporting said electrical components adjacent the outer endthereof, said bracket means comprising a pair of spaced-apart, verticalside members having oppositely outwardly extending flange along theirinner edges adapted to bearagainst the surface of said pole, and a andoutwardly of said pole, said beam having a curved neutral axisapproaching a horizontal plane adjacent its outer end and graduallytapered from a maximum vertical dimension adjacent said bracket means toa minimum at the outer end thereof, first fastening means extendingupwardly through said spacer web and said inner end portion of saidbeams for securing said beam to said bracket means, and second fasteningmeans extending transversely through said side members and said innerend portion of said beam.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said beam is substantiallyrectangular in cross section and said individual wood members thereofare substantially rectangular in cross section with the larger surfacesthereof laminated to one another.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said first fastening means includesbolt and nut means for adjusting the angular relation of the neutralaxis of said beam adjacent said inner end thereof with respect to saidpole.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said beam is pivotal about saidsecond fastening means in response to tightening and loosening of saidnut means.

8. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said beam includes curved upper andlower surfaces converging toward one another adjacent the outer endthereof.

9. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said beam includes a lower surfaceconforming to an arcuate segment of a cylinder, said cylinder having ahorizontal longitudinal 'axis of generation spaced below said beam.

10. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said beam includes an upper surfaceconforming to an arcuate segment of a cylinder having a horizontallongitudinal axis of generation spaced below said beam and a radiusgreater than the radius of curvature of said lower surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 211,177 5/1968 Dake 26-12761,020 5/1904 Tuteur 287-20.95 1,843,454 2/1932 Manson 248-2212,176,450 10/1939 Barnett 28720.94 X 2,750,142 6/1956 McKee 248-221 X2,770,846 11/1956 Findleton 287-20.95 X 2,980,214 4/1961 Petersen 52-6972,990,590 7/1961 Graveley 28720.94 3,196,990 7/1965 Handley 52-7313,299,586 1/1967 Hockaday 52-697 X FOREIGN PATENTS 422,765 1/ 1935 GreatBritain.

OTHER REFERENCES The Washington Post, Friday, May 6, 1966, p. A2, thepower line tower at the left of photograph.

ALFRED C. PERHAM, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

